Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals have yet to come to terms on a contract extension. Could Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert be one of the reasons why?
Burrow is expected to become one of the highest-paid QBs in NFL history once he eventually puts pen to paper on a new deal with the Bengals. But according to The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr., there are “outside forces at play” hindering any definitive progress on the negotiations. One of those “outside forces” apparently is a young quarterback who playes in Southern California.
Dehner says that the Bengals are waiting on Herbert to sign an extension with the Chargers. Once that takes place and sets the market, the Bengals would then give Burrow an extension that tops Herbert’s.
Burrow has two years left on his current rookie contract which guarantees him around $11.5 million in 2023 and $29.5 million in 2024. There’s little doubt that both sides want to strike a deal to go far beyond 2024. It’s just a matter of how much the final number will be when the dust settles.
There appears to be a desire from the Bengals’ side to pay Burrow more than whatever figure the Chargers ultimately give Herbert on his own extension given the former’s superior NFL resume over the latter. Burrow led Cincinnati to its first Super Bowl appearance since 1988 two seasons ago and was a field goal short of making it again this past campaign. Herbert has flashed immense talent but has yet to get his Chargers beyond the Wild Card round.
The situation isn’t much different from that of defensive tackle Chris Jones and the Kansas City Chiefs, who are said to be waiting on Quinnen Williams and the New York Jets to set the current market for the position.
The moment Burrow finally does let the ink dry on what’s likely to be a gargantuan contract extension, listen closely to hear Bengals fans letting out a collective sigh of relief.
